“TiMEtoTeach”: An approach to recognise and develop ‘universal faculty’ as teachers of undergraduate medical students

Keyword:

• Staff development

The problem

Universal faculty is a term we use to describe all individuals who impact a medical student’s learning journey. Universal faculty include full-time academic staff (who identify themselves as medical educators) as well as those without assigned teaching responsibilities but who interact with students, including doctors, nurses, allied health professionals, porters, cleaners, chaplains, and patients. This concept challenges the belief that teaching should be consultant-led (Darragh et al. 2015). Universal faculty should be offered development opportunities related to teaching as full-time university staff (Gappa and Austin 2010) but tailored to the types of interactions they may have with medical students such as providing feedback. Universal faculty may not necessarily recognise their involvement in the education of medical students, but their interactions are crucial for creating an authentic experiential learning environment. Universal faculty may miss out on educational development opportunities and curriculum information because they are spread out across many locations.

The innovation

To engage with dispersed universal faculty, we designed an outreach and engagement project called ‘TiMEtoTeach.’ TiMEtoTeach provides universal faculty with resources about the medical curriculum (see https://padlet.com/mededcpd/timetoteach). These materials, such as guidance about how to engage students with feedback, are used with healthcare teams in training workshops and with individuals such as patients and non-clinical hospital staff during pop-up promotion booths. Introductory sessions begin with recognising the role of universal faculty in teaching students. Next, an overview of the curriculum is provided, and universal faculty identify their potential contribution. Finally, universal faculty make a commitment to learning key skills such as providing feedback by attending one or more workshops. Branded goods, such as pins, pens, and lanyards, are used by universal faculty to help identify themselves as willing teachers to students. This approach to faculty development provides a consistent message about the role of universal faculty in the medical curriculum despite their diverse backgrounds, interests, and contexts.

Evaluation data

Evaluation feedback from universal faculty (approximately n = 1300, 75% response rate) from 86 sessions with individuals and groups across two years (2018–2019) is consistently positive. Universal faculty report that they feel more confident to teach after participating in a training workshop or a conversation at a pop-up event. Other indicators of success include requests from a range of people from a variety of professions and backgrounds (e.g., out-patients, chaplains, occupational therapists, clinical psychologists) to be involved in faculty development sessions and to be intentionally and informally teaching medical students. These people teach and assess students, providing effective feedback on communication and clinical skills.

Implications for faculty development

The TiMEtoTeach outreach project is an innovative way to recognise universal faculty because of its accessibility, consistent messages about the learning outcomes of the medical curriculum, and focus on the longitudinal educational development of universal faculty. Faculty developers who explore the concept of universal faculty may undergo a fundamental shift in who they recognise as teachers of medical students. The result of this shift might be to design more inclusive faculty development offerings that will empower all who engage with undergraduate students in clinical placements.

Disclosure statement

The authors have no declarations of interest to report.

Correction Statement

This article has been corrected with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Additional information

Funding

This innovation was partially funded by Leeds Institute of Teaching Excellence (LITE) and through the Multiprofessional Education and Training (MPET) funding provided by Health Education England (HEE).

Notes on contributors

Nancy Davies

Nancy Davies is a Learning Technologist at Leeds Institute of Medical Education, University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom.

Megan Anakin

Megan Anakin, PhD, is a Lecturer and Education Advisor in the Education Unit at the Dunedin School of Medicine, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.

Cait Dennis

Cait Dennis, PhD, SFHEA, is the Faculty Development and Educational Staff Development Manager at Leeds Institute of Medical Education, University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom.